Retelling the Past
by lokome
Summary: 15 years into the future, Arthur is telling his kids on the events from meeting their mother  Ariadne  until the present day. The same concept as the tv show "how i met your mother". rated T just to be safe. Arthur/Ariadne
1. And the Story Begins

So in this story Ariadne and Arthur got married and have kids. Arthur is now telling the story about the relationship he had with Ariadne until the present day. If you watch the tv show "how I met your mother", you'll understand. So Arthur tells his kids the events from meeting Ariadne until "now". I hope you enjoy it and please review! Arthur is narrating btw.

YEAR 2025

I was reading the paper in the living room; I wasn't alone though. My 12-year-old son, Ian, was playing his video game on the couch across me. Ariadne was in her bedroom (which is near the living room) probably drawing. For the past 15 years she's been drawing almost everything. Some things just never change. My 10-year-old daughter, Becky, approached me. But for now, a little back story.

The team has scattered now, although we still keep in contact. After the Fischer inception, we kept on doing that for about 10 years, except that after the Fischer inception the team figured out that inception and extraction was suppose to be made for good. So we stopped stealing and planting ideas for people who wanted to "eliminate the competition". So we started on extracting and planting ideas to stop crime. We would extract information from criminals for the police, army…etc. And we would also plant ideas so they can "turn their life around". The payment was handsomely paid. We all retired because we wanted to do something else than going to people's dreams. The army founded a new team to replace us, although I'm not quite sure it's going well.

Cobb returned to his family after the Fischer project, and right now he's been very happy with his kids, James and Phillipa, who would sometimes come and play with Becky and Ian. Eames now travels a lot around the world, seeing different places. He would visit whenever he can. The kids love him because he's such a joker. Yusuf left Mombasa and settled down in an apartment (more like condo); He now teaches chemistry in UCLA. Yusuf would also sometimes come by and teach the kids a little chemistry. Once they blew a hole in the roof because of a rocket made out of tin cans and some chemistry stuff. From that on, Ariadne always asks Yusuf on what they are going to do. Ariadne and I got married and had Ian and Becky. Ariadne is now a very successful architect and I'm doing very well with my business.

"Dad?"

I stopped reading the paper and looked at Becky.

"Yes, Becky?"  
"How did you and mom meet?"

I was taken aback by the question. Even Ian stopped playing his game and looked at me.

"How did mom and I meet? Why do you ask?" I asked.  
"'Cause I watch movies of people falling in love and live happily ever after and I was wondering if you and mom were the same."  
"I can guarantee on the happily ever after there, Becky." I laughed. "You might want to sit down. It's a pretty long story."

YEAR 2010

Arthur wandered around his apartment. He was waiting a phone call from Cobbs, who said that he had found a new architect. "He… or she better be good" Arthur thought. "Better not fail us like Nash did. That bastard." Arthur's phone began to ring.

"Hello." Arthur said picking it up.  
"We got her." Cobb said. "I want you to prepare the equipment in the warehouse now."  
"You're bringing her to the dream world? Now? You just met her."  
"I'm sure she can take it." Cobb chuckled a little. Then he hanged up.

"Is this how you met mom?" Becky asks.  
"Not yet." I smiled as I continue my story.

Arthur sighed as he went to pick the metal case. He went to his car and drove to the warehouse. When he arrived, Arthur opened the case and began setting up the equipment until a few minutes later, Cobb and the new architect entered the warehouse.

"What was your first impression of mom?" Ian asked. He had stopped playing his video game and began listening to the story.  
"Well… my first impression would probably be that she was so young. Most of the architects I work with are pretty old. Your mom was 23 years old when I met her for the very first time. I was 29." I said.  
"Was it love at first sight?" Becky asks.  
"Not really." I smiled. "Though she was very pretty."

"Arthur, I would like you to meet, Ariadne, a college student of Miles." Cobb said as he introduced her to Arthur. "Ariadne, Arthur. Arthur, Ariadne."  
"Please to meet you Arthur." Ariadne said as she shook Arthur's hand.  
"And to you." Arthur smiled.  
Ariadne smiled back.  
"Would you please sit down here Ariadne." Cobbs said, grabbing a chair for her to sit down.  
"What are we gonna do?" Ariadne said.  
"We're going to inject you with this wire, and you're going to go to sleep.

"You should've seen your mother's face when Uncle Cobb said this." I told my kids with a smile.

"Wha-at?" Ariadne stuttered, looking terrified.  
"Don't worry, you'll be fine. Just relax and go to sleep." Arthur said. Ariadne nodded as Arthur injected her and she began to fall asleep.

"And until now, it puzzles me how your mom trusted me right away, even though we've just met." I said.


	2. Into the Dream

Hey guys, thanks for all the great reviews. Really awesome. Just want to tell you that if you see a "…" it doesn't mean "etcetera; it's a line. wouldn't let me use a line, so I had to use this one. The line is a transition of the present to the past or the past to the present. Enjoy!

"So then, what happened?" Becky asked.  
"Well, Uncle Cobb and her entered the dream world; I didn't know what happened there, but suddenly Uncle Cobb woke up first."

….

Arthur was sitting down on a chair, quietly monitoring the machine. Once in a while he would look at Ariadne. "I guess I'm not the youngest in the team anymore." He thought. Arthur was snapped out of his daze hearing Cobb awoke. Cobb calmy pulled the wire attaching to his arm, sat up, and looked to Ariadne, expecting she will wake soon. And she did.

Ariadne was hit with glass as her surroundings exploded. All she could remember was the exploding glass all around her… and then everything went black. Next thing she knew, she was sitting on a chair in a warehouse she's didn't remember. She woke up with a start and saw Cobb staring at her.

"It all feels real doesn't it?" Cobb asked. "Can you give us five more minutes?" he turned to Arthur.

"Five minutes? We were talking for almost an hour!" Ariadne said unbelievably.

"When you're in a dream state, you're mind slows down so time is faster there." Cobb said, "Now let's try again." Ariadne nodded and fell back to sleep.

As usual, it was a flash of white light and she back in "Paris".

…..

"Well, I didn't know what happened in there kids, but I guess your Uncle Cobb was explaining her how the dreams work." I say. "But I guess it didn't result so well because your mother woke up with a jolt."

….

"Wake me up, Cobb! Wake me up!" Ariadne was screaming as the projections swarmed and held her. Then suddenly this woman with a grey coat approached her quickly with a knife.

"Mal! No, Mal!" Cobb screamed. But it was too late. Mal stabbed Ariadne and she entered a void of darkness.

Arthur was watching the machine when Ariadne woke up with a jolt, gasping. Arthur rushed to her. "Hey, hey, you're gonna be alright okay? Just calm down."

….

"She wasn't calming down." I said.

…

Cobb woke up too. He quickly pulled off the wire and ran to the bathroom.

"That's some subconscious you got there, Cobb! She was really pretty!" Ariadne shouted.

"I see you have met Mrs. Cobb" Arthur said.

"That" Ariadne said, still recovering from the shock. "That is way too much for me. Thanks for the offer, but I would not like to be part of it." She picked up her bag and quickly went out.

….

"Did you chase after mom?" Becky asks.

"No." I said after a pause. "But I'm not done yet."

…..

Arthur watched Ariadne walk off. He wanted to call her back, but Cobb appeared behind him. "She'll come back." He said. "I'll have to get Eames."

"Eames? But he's in Mombasa, Cobol's backyard." Arthur said.

"I'll have to take the risk then."

"We could just find somebody else."

"We don't just need a "somebody else". We need a forger."

…..

"After that Uncle Cobb went to Mombasa to get Uncle Eames, and I stayed back. And you're Uncle Cobb was right. Your mom did come back." I said.

….

Arthur was preparing for Cobb and Eames's arrival. He was checking up with the machine, making sure everything was right. He wasn't a perfectionist… well maybe a little. He was checking everything up when he heard the warehouse door opened and in came Ariadne.

"I guess Cobb was right." He thought. "You came back." He said to her.

"I tried hard not to… but, it's just…" Ariadne said.

"But there's nothing quite like it."

Ariadne smiled and nodded.

"Well, maybe we could pick where we left off. Well, where you left off actually."

"Yeah, sure." Ariadne smiled.

Arthur and Ariadne went and sat on the chairs and hooked themselves to the machine. They entered the dream world and Arthur began to explain more on her job.

"So you're job here is to design the world of the dreams." Arthur said, while both of them climbed a stair. A woman dropped her papers. They walked past her as Arthur started talking again. "You can make any architecture in the dream world." They walk past by the woman again. Ariadne was puzzled. "Like the paradox stairs."

"So who was she?" Ariadne asked Arthur as they walked down the stairs.

"Who?"

"The woman who stabbed me in the dream."

"I told you; it was Mrs. Cobb. She's just a projection in Cobb's mind."

"His ex-wife?"

"No"

"They're still together?"

"No, not that. She died."

That surprised Ariadne. Arthur shrugged and continued walking. She followed him as he continued to explain more about the job.

…

Okay, I can't remember the exact lines that were said in the movie, so I'll try. I hope you enjoy the story and please review.


	3. The Walk

Arthur and Ariadne continued walking down the building. They exit a big glass door out of the building into the streets. They walked the brick-colored sidewalk with trees along the side. The sky is blue and people are merrily walking by.

"It's actually pretty nice here." Arthur commented to Ariadne while walking.  
"Yeah, I guess I'm a happy dreamer." Ariadne replied happily.

She lied. Well, partly lied. She was happy… because Arthur was there with her. Whenever she sees him, her heart skips a beat. Whenever she sees him, she couldn't help but steal glances to look at him. He's hot. He's smart. He's nice and kind. It's actually what Ariadne described the "perfect guy". Just in the same room with him, makes her really happy inside.

They encountered a river that ran all across the side. Ariadne made a bridge appear to cross them across the river. Arthur smiled to Ariadne when she did that. She smiled back. She always loved his smile. They walked slowly across the bridge; Arthur put his hands to his pockets. They walked in silence for quite a long time; Ariadne broke the silence.

"So how long have you been working on… this?" Ariadne asked.  
"For around five years" Arthur said.  
"How?"  
"How what?"  
"How did you find Cobb?"  
"Actually, it was Cobb who found me."  
"How?"  
"The same way he found you. In college."  
Ariadne was surprised.  
"I was studying business back then. It was my last year. I didn't really know what to do next after I graduated from college. My professor, Mr. Fabray, was a friend of your professor, Prof. Miles. Miles talked to Fabray that his son-in-law needed a point man, a point man for a very important job. So Fabray suggested me to Miles, who suggested to Cobb. Cobb and I met, and he gave me my first task. He asked to give him a research report about Maurice Fischer."  
"Isn't he?..."  
"Robert Fischer's father. So I did what he asked me to do. I gave him the report, and he seemed pretty pleased about it, so… here I am."  
"I guess we all have a story on how we ended up here." Ariadne said.  
"I guess so. Cobb was kinda tough though. He had rules for the team."  
"Really? Like what?"  
"Like… we can't date co-workers."  
Ariadne's heart sank. Those four words felt like a cannonball just hit her. It felt like her heart just crumbled. "Why?" she asked, trying not to sound sad.  
"I guess Cobb wanted us to fully focus on the job; not to get distracted."  
"Oh" Ariadne said.

They continued walking slowly on the path, talking about other stuff, though Ariadne wasn't really focusing on the conversations.

A few days later, Ariadne entered the warehouse, finding two new team members, Eames and Yusuf. They discussed about the mission that they are about to do, planting inception on Robert Fischer Jr..

"And whose idea was this?" Ariadne asked.  
"Saito. Fischer's rival. He wants us to plant an idea to destroy the company." Cobb answered.

Everybody began working. Ariadne built the dream world, Arthur researched stuff, Cobb was giving out orders… well, except at night. He would strap himself and dream on every night.

…

"Then, one night, your mother broke into Uncle Cobb's dream." I said.  
"What did she see?" Ian asks.  
"I don't know. Your mother won't tell me, even until now."

…

Over the next week, the team worked on their jobs, then the final night of the preparation came.

"So, I guess this covers it up. Tomorrow morning, we'll take a flight to Sidney. So you guys better get a good sleep tonight." Cobb said. He picked up his bag and exited the warehouse. "Goodnight everybody."

"I guess I better go too." Eames said as he also exited the warehouse. "Night."

Yusuf also left later, leaving Arthur and Ariadne alone.

"So," Arthur said, picking up his coat. "I'm going. Do you wanna come?"  
"You mean, walk home with you?" Ariadne asked.  
"Yea? Are there any other choices?" Arthur smiled. "I could drop you off in your aprtment."  
"Yea, sure." Ariadne smiled gratefully. She picked up her bag, "Let's go."

Arthur opened the warehouse door for her. He was really enjoying this. Whenver he was around Ariadne, he felt happy. He would've asked her out if not for Cobb's stupid rule. He never felt like this around a girl, or around someone actually. The first time he saw Ariadne, he became, on what he called, "attracted".

Ariadne exited the warehouse, and Arthur closed the door behind her. They continued walking towards the street. It was empty, with only the streetlights to light the way. They could see the Eifel Tower lighting in the distance.

"This is actually very nice." Arthur thought.  
"This is actually romantic." Ariadne thought.

They continue walking in silence. Ariadne shivered a little, so Arthur took off his coat and put it around her.

"Thanks." Ariadne said.  
"No problem." Arthur said.  
"Have you done this before, Arthur?"  
"This what?"  
"A project as big as this?"  
Arthur paused a moment. "Actually, no."  
"Oh." Ariadne answered with a slight concerned voice.  
Arthur noticed this and said, "Don't worry, it's gonna be okay." He smiled.  
They continued walking in silence.

They finally reached Ariadne's apartment.

"I guess, this is it." Ariadne said. Handing Arthur back his coat.  
"Yea." Arthur said, "So… goodnight. Get ready for tomorrow."  
"Yeah, sure. Goodnight Arthur."

She took her key, opened the door, and disappeared inside. Arthur stared at the door for a while, turned around, and walked towards his house… with a smile.


End file.
